A graduation message for 2018

April 19, 2018

Being Frank

By: Frank JamesSpecial to the Milwaukee Times

The end of a journey is upon many students in the USA. High schools around the country will be releasing graduating seniors upon society. The future Presidents and CEO’s will be taking their first steps toward greatness. This is the dream many parents want to believe in. In reality these same parents know this is a lie. For many a graduating senior the best times of their life are over.

In many cases around the country reality will kick in for many 2018 graduates. This reality may come in the form of struggling in college in the fall. Why would students who have a supposedly high GPA struggle? In the words of a 2018 graduate, “Many of us know how to cheat.” There is the winning answer. I know people will ask how is this possible? Easy. The cell phone has given students access to everything from the latest gossip to another student’s answers. The one positive is that the same technology to cheat will be available in college. Just imagine years from now that pharmacist or nurse dealing with your health may have cheated their way through college.

Another way reality will kick in is the fact that no one will look at these graduates as children. No one will accept the excuse that they are teens in school and overlook their behavior. This fact will get many 2018 graduates in a lot of trouble. Why? There are a great many 2018 graduates who have a problem with being rude. The regular populace will not tolerate the rude interactions they had with teachers and school staff. The lack of caring behavior that seems to have permeated many graduates will lead to several visits to the unemployment line.

All is not bleak, though. Several schools in major cities have AP or College Prep courses in high school. Usually these AP students are pushed harder than the students in normal classes. This difference leads to one set of higher achieving students and one set of basic or even lower performing ones. In many instances the focus of the school is on these higher performing students. With the pressure from districts on schools to perform can you blame the school personnel? These high performing students are supposedly the crème of the crop. The number of these students is sadly not the majority. The USA will still have a large number of mediocre 2018 graduates.

Even the high performing students will face an overloaded job market when they graduate. The number of students heading off to college has increased significantly over the last few years. Many middle-level students will have to use student loans to pay for college. This will be another hard dose of reality for the 2018 graduate. The student loan scam is something for another day. What about the student who wants to work for a living without a trade?

The days of graduating from high school and making it on a diploma have passed. A person can find work but good paying work for only a high school graduate is scarce. Trade school is always an option but you still have to be able to focus and apply what is learned. Sadly even trade school costs, so once again many will be roped into student loans. Reality is a bitter pill, 2018 graduate.

Even though reality is a bitter pill, think of it as a Sweet Tart, 2018 graduate. No matter what you have done in the past you are starting over new. Graduating from high school is an accomplishment to be proud of. Remember a Sweet Tart starts off bitter but eventually becomes sweet. This is very true with life. With this in mind, go and conquer the planet.

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the writer and not of the Milwaukee Times Weekly Newspaper or NCON Communication, its staff or management. “Being Frank” is a bi-weekly column exclusive to the Milwaukee Times Weekly Newspaper.